


Safety

by BlazingStarInInkyBlackness



Series: Camp Camp [2]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Child Abuse, Homophobia, Max is not a happy camper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 01:31:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9359561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlazingStarInInkyBlackness/pseuds/BlazingStarInInkyBlackness
Summary: David has his sanctury but Max doesn't have his safety. David desperatly wants to fix that.





	

It took a year for David to understand that something wasn’t right with Max.

To everyone’s surprise Max came back to Camp Campbell. It seemed like not even he had planned it. But when the bus rolled into camp Max slouched off, glaring around as he did. David frowned for a second, confused, before striding forwards.

“Welcome Campers! It’s so good to see so many of you coming back!” David smiled at Max for that one who just shrugged, glaring off into nothing.

“Max!” A voice screamed from the bus. Max half turned before being thrown to the ground by Nikki. The girl grinned at Max who half smiled back. “I missed you so much!”

“Yeah yeah. Get off me, asshole.” Max half sniped back, pushing Nikki back. He then slowly rose to his feet. If David hadn’t been watching he could almost have missed the slight wince the boy made. David frowned at that but before he could ask Max turned back to the bus. Neil staggered off the bus and was leapt on by Nikki.

Max just stood there for a long moment, slightly hunched over as he took in deep breaths.

 

As the days continued David began to notice small things, odd things that didn’t quite add up. It was the way that Max would hang back when Neil and Nikki would leap forwards, how even on the hottest day of the year he didn’t take off the jumper.

The first time David tried to talk to Max about it he could almost have sworn that the boy looked scared, for just a second.

“Hey Max.”

“What do you want?” Max snapped back. David frowned slightly. The year away certainly hadn’t made Max any more agreeable.

“Are you okay?”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Max spat out. David sighed.

“You don’t seem to be enjoying Camp this year.”

“I didn’t enjoy it last time, idiot. I don’t want to be here.” Max crossed his arms at that.

“Then why did you come back?”

“My parents sent me.”

“Why?”

“It’s none of your fucking business.” Max snapped and turned to leave. Before he could David grabbed his arm. Max whirled on him, the moment of weakness, of vulnerability, that moment of fear.

“Sorry.” David said, withdrawing his hand. Max continued to glare at him, now hunching in on himself slightly, clutching the arm close to his body.

“Fuck off David.” Max said, with none of the usual venom. He then turned and half ran off. David watched him go, guilt churning in his stomach. But there was also a curiosity, why did Max react that violently?

 

After that day David made sure to keep a close eye on Max. He would go into Max and Neil’s cabin to make sure they were awake (he did it with the other kids sometimes but not that often.) Whenever he did Max would be awake, fully clothed and ready to spit expletives at him.

But David persisted. He made a point to include Max into the camp activities, trying to dedicate a day to Max’s camp before anyone else’s. However, when Max refused to tell him what camp he was there for David had to give up, instead opting for science which Neil was over the moon about. (But not literally, as he could hasten to add.)

No matter how many times David tried to get Max to talk the boy wouldn’t say anything. In fact, Max didn’t say much of anything anymore.

He still swore at anyone who even began to annoy him but he didn’t join in with the banter of Neil and Nikki and they’d noticed. They’d try to coax him into conversations but no matter what they tried it didn’t work.

Max would just say something short and snippy to get them off his back and then go back to whatever he was doing.

Neil was the first one to break.

 

David was sitting at the counsellor’s table; Gwen having gone back to her cabin. Suddenly a tray was slammed down next to him. David jumped slightly and turned to see Neil glaring up at him.

“Nothing about this gets back to Max. Alright?” At the end of the sentence his voice squeaked a bit, making the almost threat a lot less intimidating but David knew that he was serious.

“Okay.”

“Something’s wrong.”

“Huh?”

“Something’s wrong with Max. I can’t help him on my own and this is the shit you’re hired to do.” There was a pause. “So?”

“Why do you think there’s a problem?”

“I think he’s in pain but he’s not telling me anything. He doesn’t tell us anything now. Something changed over the year and I don’t know what!” Neil half growled at the end of that, annoyed as much at himself than at whatever Max was struggling with.

“In pain?”

“He keeps on wincing and then giving some bullshit about having fallen over.”

“And you think he’s lying?”

“I know he is!” Neil exclaimed, glaring at the table in front of him. “Doesn’t matter what but I know something’s wrong.”

“Thank you for that Neil.” David replied earnestly. “It’s good to see that you care so much-”

“Shut it.” Neil slid off the bench and glared up at David. “I’m doing this for Max. Not for some bullshit reason.”

“Okay.” David was beaming down at Neil who just rolled his eyes and strode off. That seemed to be happening to David a lot nowadays.

 

Despite David’s renewed attempts to talk to Max the boy was having none of it. He would just glare at David sullenly or swear. But there was something different about the boy now. He still cursed like a sailor but he did it without the spark. Everything he did seemed to lack that spark that made him Max.

As the days went on he began to isolate himself more and more until he just spent most of his time alone in his cabin, claiming that he was sick. David didn’t believe it for one second.

But, despite David’s best efforts Max didn’t open up to them. He didn’t open up to any of his friends or to David or even Gwen.

In fact, it took a total breakdown for him to even admit something was wrong.

It had just been a normal day, Max slumping into breakfast, hands deep in his pockets and eyes ringed by shadows. No matter how much time he spent in his cabin Max didn’t look any better for it.

Max made sure to sit on the other side of the room than the counsellor’s table, as he always did. Neil and Nikki smiled at him as he sat down but when he didn’t respond they just lapsed into a conversation between the two of them.

David was then pulled into a conversation with Gwen when the Quartermaster hobbled over.

“What’s wrong with him?” He asked gruffly, gesturing to Max. The boy wasn’t eating, just pushing the food around his plate as he stared off into nothing. David just shrugged and the Quartermaster huffed.

“No matter what I say to he won’t talk to me.” David sighed at the end of his sentence. “I just want to help him!”

“Let me try.” The Quartermaster grunted. David frowned at that as the Quartermaster hobbled off.

“I’m not sure that’s-”

“Let him try.” Gwen said, shrugging. “Your approach obviously isn’t working.”

“It might.” David mumbled, frowning. Gwen just raised an eyebrow and David shrugged. “It could.”

Before Gwen could respond a scream cut through the air. Both of them leapt to their feet and stared at where it had come from. Max was on the floor, scrambling back from the Quartermaster with pure fear in the boy’s eyes. The Quartermaster was towering over him, hook extended.

“Get away from me!” Max screamed, back hitting the wall. He hunched in on himself, raising both arms over his head as if the man was going to hit him. “Please don’t hurt me!”

Deathly silence covered the cabin for a long moment before the Quartermaster spoke.

“What the-”

“Max!” David yelled, running forwards. Gwen turned to the rest of the kids and ushered them out of the cabin. Neil and Nikki hesitated before the Quartermaster pulled them out.

Soon it was just Max and David left in the cabin. Max was huddled in on himself, whispering something over and over under his breath.

“Max, can you hear me?”

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.” Max chanted quietly under his breath. He started to rock slightly, still whispering. David laid a gentle hand on his knee and Max instantly stilled before slowly lifting his head.

“David?”

David was horrified to see tears in Max’s eyes, dribbling down his face and dropping onto his hoodie.

“Yeah. It’s me bud.”

“Wha-” Max cast around for a second, obviously confused. David scooted back a bit and sat, cross-legged a good distance away from Max.

“You’re in Camp Campbell. It’s morning. You were eating breakfast and then you were scared.”

Max sniffed and nodded, staring at David guardedly.

“I know that.” His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, belying the lie in his voice.

“What’s wrong Max? I wanna help. I promise.”

“Nothing.” Max didn’t even believe his own lie. David certainly didn’t.

“Max.”

“It’s nothing much.” Max shrugged.

“You just had an anxiety attack in the middle of Camp.”

“Yeah?”

“Something’s wrong. Let me help.”

“Why do you do that?” Max half snapped.

“Do what?”

“Try to help everyone. There’s no point. Do you just do it to fucking feel better?”

“Everyone can be helped.” David said gently. Max just scoffed.

“No they fucking can’t!” His voice was filled with so much anger that David paused.

“Who can’t be?”

“Just saying. You can’t help everyone.”

“But maybe I can help enough people so that they can help the other people.”

“Bullshit.” Max spat out. “You’re guilty or something.”

“Do you really want to know why I want to help people?” David asked gently. Max frowned and turned to fully face David.

“Did you kill someone?”

“No!” David exclaimed, outraged. Max just smirked, ignoring how shaky he felt. It wouldn’t do him any good to show that.

“Sure.”

“I’ll tell you but,” At David’s words Max’s face immediately shut down. “You need to tell me what’s wrong with you.” Max glared at David for a long moment before the fight seemed to leak out of him. He shrugged apathetically and nodded.

“Why the fuck not?”

“Well,” David sighed, thinking about where he could start this story. “Camp Campbell means a lot to me Max. Probably more than you could know. This was where I could finally be myself.”

“Be yourself?”

“Yes. You see, I’m-” David paused. He’d never told this entire story to anyone, just dribs and drabs. “I’m gay.” That got Max’s attention. His head snapped to David and he frowned.

“What?”

“It’s different now,” David ploughed on, ignoring Max. “People are a lot more accepting. But when I was a kid they weren’t. I got beat up a lot. A lot of people called me a lot of things.” David sighed as he remembered the children screaming the words at him. “My parents didn’t approve. They don’t talk to me anymore. Two years ago, I wound up in the hospital after a car crash and they were notified for some reason. They didn’t even bother sending me a card. They don’t really care anymore.”

“Fuck.” Max breathed out. David decided to not bring him up on his language.

“They sent me here to make me straight.” David sighed, staring down at his feet. “It didn’t work because Campbell helped me instead. He told me it was okay to be who I was, even if people didn’t accept that. The reason I want people to enjoy camp so much is because this is my sanctuary. It didn’t matter how much people hated me in my normal life. It didn’t matter when my parents stopped talking to me. It didn’t matter that I didn’t have friends. When I came here everything just-” David sighed, smiling gently. “Vanished. Nothing else mattered but here. I was safe. Now I try to make sure everyone else is safe as well.”

David paused there, watching Max as the boy seemed to struggle with how he should respond.

“My parents don’t like me either.” Max started quietly. “They-” He sighed. “Fuck, do we have to talk about this?”

“Yes.”

“Fine.” Max paused before continuing. “My parents don’t like me. Never have. I’m just some kind of statue to them. Just-” his fists clenched. “Just something to be put on show and paraded. Well _fuck_ that.” He spat out. “And when I didn’t agree with them.” Max pulled off his jumper and David gasped. Max’s arm were covered in cuts and scars. It looked like someone had taken a chainsaw to his arm. David carefully took his arm and stared at it. Max shifted uncomfortably as he did. “Fuck. This wasn’t even that bad.”

“That’s bad Max!”

“Not _that_ bad. They’ve done worse. Well yeah. That’s my story I guess. Doesn’t have the same bullshit happy ending yours does but whatever.”

“How often do they hurt you?”

“Not often. But when they do it’s-” Max pulled his hoodie back on and huddled in on himself. “It’s bad.”

“When did they do that?”

“The night before Camp started.”

“And why did they do it?” Max didn’t seem to want to answer that question, instead just pulling at a string on his hoodie. “Max?”

“I told them I was coming back.” His voice was quiet. “I- I told them I’d stolen the money and that if they didn’t let me go then I’d- I’d tell everyone.” Max didn’t meet David’s eyes. “I was tired of being their fucking punching bags so I just snapped. Then they did this.” Max scoffed. “What was the fucking point of that?”

“You wanted to come back?”

“No. I wanted to leave.” Max angrily scrubbed at his eyes, almost surprised at the tears in his eyes. “I don’t wanna be hurt anymore.”

“Oh Max.” David sighed, shuffling closer. He opened his arms, inviting Max into a hug. The boy glared at him for a moment before launching himself forwards.

“I just-” Max started before the tears got the better of him, forcing his breath to hitch every so often as he blubbered against David’s chest. After Max had calmed down a little bit David shuffled the boy’s head so they could see each other.

“Do you want to be get away?”

“I-” Max looked away. “I don’t wanna be hurt David.” His voice was so quiet and so defeated.

“Then you won’t be.” David replied definitively.

“Doesn’t fucking work like that.” Max responded angrily. The ferocity of his words was slightly damped by how his voice was muffled from David’s shirt.

“How do you think it’ll look like if your parents are charged with child abuse?”

“Bad I guess. But no-one would believe me.”

“I believe you Max. Everyone’s seen how you are here and what you were like last year. I’m sure you could make a strong case.”

“Don’t wanna.” Max half whimpered. He sounded so defeated, so defeated and so young that David just nodded.

“Okay. But you’re not going back there.”

“What?” Max’s voice squeaked slightly. “Wh-where would I go?”

“I’m not letting you go back and be hurt by those people.”

“There’s nowhere else I could go, David. It’s home or the streets.” Max scoffed. “Kids don’t survive there.”

“Max,” David pulled Max back slightly. The boy looked a mess, eyes red and puffy and nose dribbling. “I can help you. I can protect you. I can make sure they’ll never touch you again.”

“But-”

“No buts.” David’s voice had a finality that Max was unused to. “I don’t care what it takes but you are _not_ going back there. This camp means safety, security, sanctuary. There is no way that doesn’t extend to you.”

Max stared up at David, sniffing slightly as he did and frowned. David seemed to honestly believe that, honestly believed that everything that had happened could be undone. Believed that he had power over Max’s parents, could protect Max.

And for once in his all too cynical short life Max actually believed that there might be a point in trying.

**Author's Note:**

> I've written another two fics for this series, security and another that doesn't have a title. These focus on Nikki and Neil and the problems that they face and how David adopts them. (Not literally. Not yet...)  
> I am just such a sucker for David adopting the kids because of their shitty home lives. Also I cannot wait until season 2 of Camp Camp!  
> See you next time!


End file.
